Emerald Shield
by FeistyFox
Summary: With old enemies making a play for power it's going to take more than an understanding of the Outer Zone to re-establish the monarchy. Sequel to Tin Armor.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine in this or any of my other stories. The end… or the middle? Wait… I'm at the beginning. That's right. The beginning.

"That was insane." Cain growled low in his throat. His arm was slow to loosen its tight hold from around her waist despite the fact that they were now inside the Central City Palace. She figured the safety of the palace was still questionable at this point. "How did that many people even know we were going to be coming through?"

Around them resistance fighters were shifting and breaking away to sweep through the halls and towers of the palace at Jeb's strained orders. Despite the fighters help with crowd control and her exhaustion from calling all the travel storms she had been forced to call up a low level shield to protect the group from being overwhelmed by her people. She had never in her life seen so many people in one place before, and boy had they been happy to see her mother. Unfortunately her head was now pounding and she had the distinct impression that she was about to pass out soon. That odd hazy feeling had started to form at the edge of her consciousness.

Ahamo's body was practically vibrating with tension as he stood protectively in front of her mother and Az who he had against a very sturdy looking wall. He wasn't even bothering to keep his knives hidden in his sleeves as he gripped them dangerously in his hands. All those years in the Realm of the Unwanted had made her father a little paranoid. She figured that many people with eyes on his family had made him as nervous as they had made her. "Word of mouth has certainly gotten better since the Witch took control. It was safer for everyone that way. She had control of all the media outlets."

She vaguely thought that was a real bummer as darkness began to attack her from the right. She tried to beat it back silently as the conversation continued on around her. "We need to get up higher." Glitch said tilting his head up so he could see up one of the oddly hollow spires that they had found themselves in. She followed his line of sight. She really didn't understand the architecture in this world. How did things stand up? Where were all the support beams? All she could see was a wide spiral staircase leading up and up and up toward the top of the metallic looking walls that seemed to stretch on forever. Was everything controlled by magic or did they build things differently here?

She threw her head back down abruptly when she started to choke on something sticky. Hacking wetly she raised the back of her hand to her mouth and nearly doubled over as the Tin Man moved his head back to look at her. Coughing hard she managed to clear her lungs and straightened with his help. When she pulled her hand away from her mouth she found it was covered with thick wet blood. That probably wasn't real good. She blinked at the dark liquid twice before she lost the battle with consciousness and passed out where she stood.

Waking up with a groan she rather wished she had stayed asleep. Her head hurt like a mother and the room was tilting on her. "DG?" Cain's voice drifted over her softly.

"Too much magic." She put a hand over her head and curled up into a ball. She noticed she was on something soft and hoped someone had found them a bed. "Was I bleeding or hallucinating?" Either way she wouldn't be surprised.

She felt his hand run over her hair. "Bleeding."

She heard the anxiety in his voice and mentally berated herself. She needed to stop making him worry all the time or she was going to give him a stroke. "I'm sure that was sexy."

He grunted. "You've never used that much magic in one day before. I'm not entirely sure anyone has." She heard something like a cross between awe and frustration in his voice. "There were bound to be side effects. It could have been worse than a bloody nose." Yeah, probably.

"And a headache from hell."

She heard his smile. "And a headache from hell."

She cracked an eye open so she could see him. He was crouched in front of her, his hat off, watching her intently. She could see relief and love sparking in his blue eyes as he watched her open her eyes and she smiled at him in response. Still, he was blocking her view of the darkened room. "Where are we?"

His hand began to toy with her hair absently. "The upper levels of the western spire. As soon as Jeb had it cleared we moved up here. It'll be easy to defend and no one will be able to get at us from above." She made a soft understanding noise. "Your sister said she'd set up a protection spell of some kind come morning, but until then Jeb's men will be watchin' for us."

"That's nice of her." Az must have been as exhausted as she was. At least she hadn't passed out. She reached out and tugged gently on his duster. "Hey, Wyatt?"

"Yes?"

"There's nothing green in here is there?"

He chuckled softly. "No."

"S' good." Stretching a bit she held onto his coat and let the room steady itself out around her. "Where'd Decon go?"

"He's sleepin' out on the balcony." He jerked his head slightly in what she assumed was the direction of their apparent balcony. "Don't think he likes the indoors much."

"Imagine that." His lip twitched briefly before his amusement faded. His eyes went distant as he looked toward some point behind her shoulder. She sighed, worry gnawing at her. She was at a loss as to what to say to him to make him feel better about this situation. She doubted anything would make him feel comfortable again until it was totally over.

Letting go of the waterproof material she let her hand wander up to his face and ran her knuckles lightly over his jaw. His eyes refocused on her and for once she dropped all her cheerfulness and pep. She knew how hard this was for him, what Zero represented. He wasn't just a man that had bested him. To Wyatt he was the symbol of his failure, his loss, and the memories of his past that no one should have had to carry. The man that was now so eager to serve her had tortured the Tin Man in ways she didn't fully want to comprehend.

When she started talking she heard the steel edge in her voice and saw his eyes flicker with surprise. "The guilds are in place and waiting for my orders. He won't get away again, Tin Man." She felt the emerald stir briefly at her statement but thought nothing of it as her stubborn streak kicked in. When this was over he was going to be able to sleep at night with or without her in his bed.

She saw him waver then he stood up and started pacing. "This never should have happened. This wasn't your fight."

Struggling to sit up she stared at him as he made his circuit raising her eyebrow. The moment he was facing her again she leaned back against the headboard. "Are you done being stupid now?"

He threw a glare at her that thoroughly unimpressed her. "Don't pretend this is trivial!"

"I never said it was. I said you were being stupid." She huffed at him. "Not my fight. Whatever, Cain." If he thought she wasn't in this with him he had another thing coming.

His jaw twitched. "I should have killed him-"

She cut him off before he could finish. She did not need him questioning his morals. "If you'd killed him it would have destroyed you!" She pushed herself off the bed ignoring how badly she was swaying. She needed to drive this point home. "You are a good man, Wyatt Cain! When you had Zero he was your prisoner. He was tied up and at your mercy. If you'd killed him, if you'd done what you'd set out to do, you would have become him. Is that what you want?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "You're twisting my words-"

"No! I'm telling you the truth!" She locked eyes with him. "I realize I can't ever understand what it must have been like for you in that suit. What it must have been like for you to watch that projection." His eyes went cold at the mention of it but she pushed on. "And honestly the very thought of you going through that horrifies me. But if you think for one second that this is your fault, that you somehow failed me or Jeb, then you really are an idiot. If it wasn't Zero doing this it would be someone else. You can't blame yourself for this anymore!"

He growled low in his throat and she saw the conflict raging behind his icy eyes. She could understand it, was closely acquainted with the mix of guilt and helplessness that she knew he was fighting with. Letting out a slow breath she held out her hand to him. "It's not your fault, Tin Man. Jeb doesn't think so and neither do I."

He stood still for a long time before he jerked his head in acceptance and moved back to her. Taking her hand he pulled her into his arms and picked her up. She squeaked as she left the ground and he sat on the edge of the bed setting her on his lap. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders she pressed her face into his neck. "Are you ok, Wyatt?"

"No." Despite the tension in his voice she felt her lip twitch at his blunt answer. His arms tightened around her as he pressed her closer to him.

"That's because you worry too much." She stated matter of factly.

She heard him grunt. "That's only because you don't worry enough. I have to worry for both of us."

She lifted her head, which was still pounding, and grinned up at his stony expression. "Nonsense, I simply know I'm going to succeed. Huge difference."

She saw humor returning to his face and his posture relaxing. "You just know? That's very reassuring."

She jabbed him in the ribs and he twitched. "Hey! Who saved you three?" He raised an eyebrow. "Who broke out of prison? Who brought trees to life, restored a palace, and killed a witch?" She pointed to herself. "All me, buster."

"All you?" Ok, Cain was too O.Z. to say that phrase. It was seriously disturbing.

She giggled. "I admit you guys may have helped a little, but regardless, I know. Zero's ass is grass."

He opened his mouth until her phrasing caught up with him. Then an adorable puzzled look crossed it. "And we're back to you spouting gibberish."

She laughed up at him before laying her head on his shoulder. His hand came up to rest on her head and she relaxed, happy that he had calmed down. After a minute or so he moved his arm under her legs and moved her off him onto the bed. She let out a whimper of protest clutching at him. He hushed her pushing her hair out of her face. "Just let me get out of my boots, Darin'."

She let him go reluctantly and he slipped away long enough to shed his duster, holster and boots before sliding onto the bed next to her. Rolling over she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes wanting to let sleep take her again. Cain's hand slipped to her lower back briefly tugging her lower half closer to his before his hand strayed upward to the back of her head leaving a slow trail of shivers in its wake. Soon his fingers were hitting every pressure point that could be found on her head and she sighed as he chased the headache away. Murmuring her thanks she drifted off in his arms.

Author Note: I swear there is a reason this took me so long to post. Homework swamped me and even with my plot bunny frantically digging me out it took a while to escape the avalanche. Picture if you will, a pile of man-eating books and papers viciously attacking me! Scary I know, and the paper cuts….


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine. Hasn't been in any of my other disclaimers either.

She knew something was wrong before she opened her eyes. The bed was cold. She jerked fully awake sitting up and searching the empty room frantically with her eyes. Throwing the covers off her body she stumbled out of the bed as she called for Cain. "Wyatt!"

For the first time she was able to take the room in. It was much smaller than the bedroom they'd had at Finaqua, and as Cain had promised, there was nothing green to in the place. The walls appeared to be made of a buffed metal and the floors were covered in organically patterned teal and brown rugs. Across the room she saw long floor length curtains, which she assumed covered a door that lead to the balcony. Her eyes skipped over a metal wardrobe, which nearly blended in with the wall in her search for her missing Tin Man.

When she didn't spot him or any of his things she had a sinking feeling in her stomach. There was no way he had gone and done something stupid was there? Hadn't they talked about this? Snatching her boots from their resting spot at the end of the bed she shoved her feet in them before racing out the door. The second she wrenched the door open and bolted out she smashed full force into the man in question.

He grunted from the impact, staggering backward into a small sitting room, as he caught her around the waist. She wheezed as the air was driven from her lungs but that didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he tried to catch his balance. Reaching one of his hands out he caught hold of the doorframe and stopped their rapid backward rush. "DG? What's the matter?"

She saw him looking over her shoulder as if he were expecting a legion of Longcoats to spring out of the bedroom after her. Now she felt bad. "I, errr, missed you."

His eyes darted down to her as the tension in his body drained away once he realized there wasn't anything trying to kill her. "Did you need to scare the-"

Before he could finish she slammed her lips against his. He growled in surprise as his hand left the doorframe and wrapped around her neck. She thanked her lucky star the man wasn't crazy as he shoved her backward against the opposite side of doorframe. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist bringing him closer to her. Bunching the hem of her shirt in his hand he ripped it up over her head in one swift move. She sighed, happily arching her back toward him. Grabbing the back of her thigh he pushed her higher up kissing her over the material of her bra.

Tangling her fingers in his light hair she held him to her as she moaned. Kissing his way up her neck he breathed a question to her. "Do you trust me, Darlin'?" Shuddering at the feel of his stubble rubbing against her bare skin she managed to nod. He raised his head kissing her hard on the lips before dropping her leg.

Reaching behind her the moment her feet hit the ground he tore off her bra and tossed it aside before his hands flew to the front of her jeans. The moment he had them free he shoved them down her hips catching her panties as he went. Sliding down her body after them he tugged off her boots and rid her of the rest of her clothes as he kissed her thigh.

Standing back up he caught her side and spun her around so she was facing the doorframe. She froze in surprise as she caught hold of it, but he was immediately peppering her shoulders with kisses as his hands slipped down her body to her hips pulling them back against his. Reaching around between her legs he stroked her gently and she whimpered spreading her legs for him as she relaxed.

As she began to wriggle and whine one of his hands left her and she heard him fumbling with his pants for a few moments before the hand he still had pressed against her center slipped down and spread her open. Then with a slow thrust he pushed inside her. Gripping the frame restlessly she shoved her hips backward making him grunt and tighten his hands around her hips. Biting her neck he growled at her. "What do you want, DG?"

Breathless, she answered him. "You…This."

He chuckled quietly pressing his clothed body against her back. "How?"

Confused, and ever so slightly distracted, she tried to focus on the question. "What?"

Splaying one of his hands out over her abdomen he pulled out slightly before thrusting back in. "What do you want this morning? Do you want slow and gentle? Or fast and hard?" She moaned at his heated question, her arousal spiking. He rubbed his nose against the back of her neck encouragingly. "Tell me."

Fighting with her embarrassment she didn't answer immediately. Her nails started scratching at the wall and Cain's breathing was becoming erratic. "I want to give you what you want… Tell me."

Moaning she blurted out what she wanted quickly, her face burning. "Fast and hard."

"Good girl." He pulled out quickly and complied with her request. She screamed as he moved hard inside of her. Heading rapidly toward bliss she squeezed her inner muscles around him arching her back. He started muttering under his breath as he slammed into her over and over and then she hit her breaking point. Calling his name loudly she came powerfully, stars dancing in her vision as she slumped.

The Tin Man thrust up into her once more before shuddering against her back. Shouting her name into her hair one of his hands went out to prevent himself from crushing her under his weight as he slumped forward, his breathing uneven. She stood trembling with Cain at her back as she came slowly down. "That was amazing."

Still gasping he rested his head on her shoulder as he wrapped his arm firmly around her waist. "Nothing wrong with telling me what you like or if you want to try something." He kept her against the doorframe as he continued. "I know how curious you are."

She felt blood rising to her cheeks again. She hadn't pictured Cain as the experimental type. And she certainly hadn't pictured him encouraging her to ask him to try things with her in bed. "Ok." She whispered back.

He laughed softly. "You're not going to shock me, DG." He pulled back enough to turn her back around. His eyes ran over her body slowly before he finally came back up to her flushed face. His eyes glittered at her as a smirk played over his lips. "You've already got a few ideas bouncin' around that pretty head of yours don't you?"

She flushed harder hating that he had caught her. "Maybe."

He kissed her softly before drawing away. "We can talk about that tonight." He seemed thoroughly intrigued by that prospect. "Right now you need to get dressed. We have some people waiting to meet you."

Stepping back the Tin Man began to readjust his clothes as she picked up her own. "People? What people?"

"Some people from parliament. They've been in conference with your parents for about an hour but no one wanted to bother you after all the magic you used yesterday."

She shimmied back into her pants casting him a confused look. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Nearly fifteen hours."

She stopped moving, her bra halfway on. "Are you serious? Why would you let me sleep that long?"

He raised his eyebrow. "You were sick. You needed to rest."

She huffed struggling into her shirt. Where was her green jacket? "I was drained not sick! I need to meet parliament!"

"They aren't going anywhere. Besides, Raw needed to read them before we let you get near them. Zero might have a spy in group."

She shook her head as she walked back into the bedroom. Spotting her jacket she snatched it up and tossed it over her shoulders as she searched the room for her hairbrush. "I can take care of anyone that comes after me with my magic."

He sighed heavily as she sat down at a small vanity in the corner of the room. Walking to the curtains he shoved them aside and wrenched the door open. Eyes on the ground he seemed to have spotted what he was looking for as he talked to something she couldn't see. "Are you going to lie there all day or are you going to get up and do your job?"

She heard a chuff of annoyance before Decon walked inside stretching. Once he was in the Tin Man shut the door and walked up behind her eyeing her critically. "I know you can use your magic but don't fool yourself into thinking you know all the tricks in the book." She turned to glare at him and he crouched down next to her cupping her face. His blue eyes were sincere but worried when he spoke next. "It isn't that I don't think you can take care of yourself. You've proved you're more than capable of that. But this is dangerous. I want you to be safe."

"He doesn't want me dead, Cain."

The Tin Man nodded in agreement. "I know, but if one of his men is waiting to kidnap you in there do you think they would hesitate to kill anyone that got in the way?" She flinched at the thought of her friends and family being hurt because of her. "Your physical safety isn't the only thing I'm worried about. I know you well enough to know that even if it wasn't your fault you'd blame yourself. I don't want you to have to deal with that."

She nodded reluctantly. She was starting to hate this but she understood his logic. "Alright."

"Alright." Leaning forward he kissed her sweetly. Then he changed the subject. "You should put up your hair."

Her eyebrows came together as she picked up her hairbrush. "Why?"

"It makes you look more serious."

She considered this briefly before calling a hair tie to her and pulling her hair up into a tight ponytail. When she was done she looked over at him questioningly. He shook his head. "Can you put it up in a bun?"

She made a face and taking it out of the ponytail and calling up a comb. There was no way she was putting her hair up in a bun. She wasn't a school marm. Twisting it up in a knot at the base of her skull she placed the comb in tightly and let go to see if it was going to stay in. Just to be sure she added a small spell to the mix. "Better?"

He grunted in approval. "You should change your shirt to a darker color as well. I like white but it'll make a better impression if you're a bit imposing. It helps that your dressed like an Othersider though. That'll make a few heads spin."

"Do I stick out that much?"

He grinned. "Afraid so."

With a sigh she closed her eyes and focused on the shirt she was wearing. She felt it shift around on her skin and when it was done she open her eyes again. Glancing down she was pleased to see that she was now wearing a black fitted top. The emerald sat shinning on top of the dark fabric in its horribly tacky setting. She vaguely remembered promising to fix that.

Palming the jewel in her hand she considered it carefully before letting her gift flare out. Dark magic pulsed around her hand before wrapping around the metal that encased the gem in thin tendrils. Focusing on what she wanted, the metal around the emerald twisted and turned fluidly as it reassembled. The strange marking in the metal melted away as it slowly morphed its color, darkening to a deep bronze. The color shift flowed up from the setting itself and into the chain shimmering as it went. In a few moments the pendant no longer looked spiked or dangerous, instead it resembled the tattoo that had been on her hand for over a week with the emerald as the center point.

_Much better. Thank you._

"Nice change." The Tin Man reached out tentatively to touch it and when she held it out to him he took hold of it carefully. "Why'd you choose your mark?"

She shrugged. "My tattoo led me to the emerald. I figured I might as well have a keep sake from our whirlwind adventure."

He rubbed his thumb over the jewel as he turned it in the light. "Why is it letting me touch it? It burned your mother."

That was a good question. She looked at the emerald knowing it had heard that.

_I am as much hers as you are, Tin Man. I see no reason for us to fight. We have many of the same goals. And I haven't been able to hear you until now. _

Cain jerked as the stone addressed him for the first time. His eyes were flashing with surprise and she could tell he wasn't sure if he wanted to drop it or not. After several seconds where his eyes darted between her and the stone he asked a question. "Why would you want to hear me?"

_For the same reasons I wish to hear all of the possible Consorts. I want to know how loyal you are to my queen. _

He growled down at the emerald. "If you think I'd let anything happen to her-"

_Protective as well. I can see why she wants you by her side. I approve if it matters to either of you at all. I'll help you should the need arise._

He raised an eyebrow curiously but the emerald went still. He looked up at her face and she shrugged. "I guess it's done with you. I didn't know it could talk to people without magic."

"I hadn't realized I needed approval from a jewel." She heard amusement in his voice.

"At least it isn't hounding you about fashion statements."

Letting the gem fall back on her chest he stood. "True."

"Can we go met these parliament people now?" Honestly she wanted this formality over with as soon as possible.

"Yes, Raw should be done with them."

She stood stretching her arms above her head as they walked out. Her Papay bounded ahead of them after the Tin Man opened the door to the hall for her. Crooking his arm toward her she glanced over at him briefly before slipping her arm through his. His lip twitched up as they headed toward a staircase. She really hated politics. At least Cain had her back.

Author Note: Leave me one to brighten my day! School is ruining my college experience. I need something to smile about!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

"Is there any weirdness I should be aware of before we walk in here?" She whispered conspiratorially in his ear. One of Jeb's fighters, a woman who had been lounging next to the door keeping watch covered a laugh. Maybe she hadn't been as quiet as she thought as they stood outside a set of imposing metal doors.

"That's a matter of opinion." The Tin Man replied. "Who am I supposed to be comparing them to? You or Glitch?"

She gaped at him. Then she narrowed her eyes. "I hope that means he is weirder than me."

Saying nothing he rapped sharply on the door before he pushed it open. He had to be kidding. There was no way he thought she was weirder than Glitch. He hadn't had a brain for the first eight days that they had known each other and then he had had a split personality for almost a week. At least she had a semi-stable personality. She needed to question him on this subject further.

She didn't have much longer to ponder that line of thought as he led her into the room by the arm. She was careful to wipe her expression clean and stand up as straight as possible as parliament caught sight of her for the first time. She really did want to make a good first impression seeing as she was going to have to deal with these people at some point. And by some point she meant in about ten seconds.

Standing at the front of the room with her arm in Cain's she looked over the large circular table that was only about a quarter full. And all eyes were on her. She took a moment to assess the people sitting at the table, other than her family and the people she had traveled with, she noted there were only four of them. She had expected at least six or seven. And she had expected them to look a lot more intimidating.

Instead, in front of her, were an odd assortment of humans dressed in equally odd clothes with varying looks of interest on their faces. One of the women looked downright amused with life in general as her glass rimmed eyes took in her Otherside wardrobe. She took an instant liking to her. With her shoulder length brown hair and simply embroidered green top she appeared ready to go to the market as opposed to attending a meeting with the royal family. She couldn't have been more than forty and her light brown eyes radiated impish intelligence.

To her right sat another woman who appeared to be slightly younger with long wavy brown hair. She was stockier than her fellow council member and even from her seated position it was apparent that she was dangerously close to bringing another life into the world. One of her hands rested easily on her swollen stomach as she silently took in both of them. She was dressed much more formally in a patterned vest that covered a deep purple dress. Around her neck she had a pendant that either resembled or was a silver lined compass.

Next to her sat a man in an impeccably made brown suit. Though she couldn't for the life of her identify the material it was made out of. Tall and thin he had a flat face and a pair of thin glasses in front of his pale blue eyes. He was obviously a neat freak as his lightly graying hair was tidy and trimmed. She fought back a grin at the sight of him. He was leaning toward his pregnant compatriot as if he were afraid the stress might make her pop although she wasn't picking up on any romantic signals between the two.

The last parliament member was by far the oldest. He appeared to be pushing sixty and she'd be damned if he didn't remind her of an aging Outer Zone hippie. He was even sporting his silver and red hair up in a ponytail. He was leaned casually back in his chair and after a brief glace at her his green eyes had turned to a shadowed corner behind him. Her eyes followed his and she spotted Raw standing in the back surround by her sister's magic. She wasn't sure how he had been spotted since Az had used some kind of concealing spell on him.

Ahamo tilted his head at them. "Are you feeling better, DG?"

"Much better, thank you."

He smiled as Wyatt directed her toward a chair next to Glitch and pulled it out for her before sitting down on her other side. "Is it true?" She glanced over to the woman with short brown hair and cocked her head at her glee filled tone.

"Is what true?"

"Did you really melt her?"

Ahamo cleared his throat. "This is Kea Demden. She's the head of Parliament in Central City."

"What's left of it." She added, the twinkle in her eye vanishing. She turned to the Queen. "With your permission we need to have elections as soon as possible to fill the other five seats." She turned to look at the other three parliament members who nodded back at her. "In fact you might want to hold a general election for all nine seats. The only one of us that was actually elected to office was Reod and that was over fifteen years ago. I'd say his official term ended a while back." The hippie waved distractedly.

She rolled her eyes and leaned sideways. "Raw, I think he knows you're there. Why don't you come out and join us?"

Cain sighed in quiet annoyance as Raw walked out of the corner he had been hiding in and sat down on the Tin Man's left. "Man strange." He said as he sat staring openly at Reod.

Cain shifted, his hand going to rest on the hilt of his gun. Ahamo looked at Raw and her mother's lips compressed. "Is he dangerous?" The Consort demanded.

The viewer shifted uncomfortably. "Raw does not know."

She heard the soft click of the Tin Man's gun as he drew it and cocked the hammer back under the table. "Of course you don't know." Road replied in a soft melodic voice. "Had I known we were to be read I would have opened myself to you."

Raw growled in surprise as the man closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. "Human is reader."

Roads shrugged as his eyes fluttered open. "I can only block myself from outside attacks and get a quick glimpse of strong emotions. I can't claim to compare to what the Western Guild is capable of."

Raw rumbled for a few moments then nodded to the Tin Man. "Tells truth. Means no harm."

She heard him put his gun away as Kea grinned. "His tricks have saved us more than once."

The other woman twisted a wedding ring around her finger absently. "You can entertain them with our heroic, if idiotic, adventures at a later time, Kea. Right now we need to know what happened. The Eastern Guild was less than specific."

The thin man cleared his throat. "Speaking of which… Where might the Eastern Guild be?" His voice was clear and precise. He sounded as if he had been specifically trained to properly pronounce words.

Glitch leaned forward with a frown on his face. "Do I know you?"

The thin man gave him a strange look. "I should hope so, Ambrose. You introduced me to my wife." When Glitch frowned more deeply the man shifted. "Leona…"

The advisor shook his head forcefully. "Camy?"

The thin man sighed at the snickers that rose up from the two women. "It's Camden, Ambrose. Camden. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Glitches eyebrows had drawn together as he searched his memory. Then he straightened snapping his fingers. "We were roommates when we were at school." She saw her sister's lips twitching in amusement.

'Camy' glanced between the royal couple and Glitch. His eyes latched onto the zipper that still resided on his cranium and he nodded in understanding. She hummed softly under her breath before she decided to put the man at ease. "His brain is back in." Camden looked at her sharply a question in his eyes. She shrugged unconcerned with the time it was taking the advisor to remember a long lost friend. He was still adjusting and she had no idea how long ago he had graduated.

"You found an alchemist that was loyal to you?" The last unnamed parliament member spoke up. She thought she might be the peacekeeper in the group but her interest in this information was obvious. "Who were they? I thought the Witch had them all in her pocket."

"Not all of them." Kea muttered cryptically.

Her mother looked at the woman calmly. "There was no alchemist, Cynthia. My youngest daughter took care of the problem."

Stunned silence was followed by four sets of eyes landing on her. She fought against the urge to squirm and she felt Cain put his hand over hers under the table. The short woman let out a breath as she stared at her. "You must have wanted that very badly."

Her eyes darted to Glitch before returning to the Cynthia's and she nodded firmly. "I did."

The woman silent rubbed a circle on her stomach. After several long moments she spoke again. "I'll bring the alchemist that can be trusted to you as well as the healers."

Ahamo watched her suspiciously. "And how do you know where to find them?"

The dark eyed woman turned to her father. "I'm the one that's been teaching them."

Her father did a good job hiding his surprise over this statement as the Queen smoothly interjected her own statement. "How many have you trained?"

Reod made a frustrated noise. "After the universities were closed down or taken over the academics went underground. Most of us started small groups to help teach those that fought the Witch but many were captured."

Kea shook her head sadly. "When we heard you wanted to meet with us we thought it was a trap. Five of us had already been tortured and killed for what we were doing. It wasn't only us we were worried for either. We have a network of unofficial students that are out practicing or teaching. If you got that information from us they would be hunted and killed as fast as us."

"You were all teachers?" Roads nodded in answer. She felt her heart drop to her feet. She used to think going to school while working sucked. She couldn't even imagine the kind of stress these people and their students were under if they knew they could be killed for running classes. She made a promise to herself to get the schools back open as soon as possible.

Cynthia cut back in. "In answer to your question, Majesty, I'm not entirely sure how many there are anymore. Once a student leaves they agree to take on there own students, but many are killed either on purpose or by accident. We loose track of them and it's hard to say how many have been trained without our knowledge. I know of at least six groups but I can begin to send out messages to pull them back into the city now that it's safe."

Cain cleared his throat and looked sharply at Ahamo. She caught the meaning of the look and tilted her head in agreement. It wasn't going to be safe to bring anyone into Central City for a few weeks. Pity the hippie caught onto the vibe. "What's going on?"

Raw shifted and she felt a strange tingle run over her skin as he extended his gift to shield their thoughts from the other man. She darted a glance at Cain and Raw. She still wasn't sure if they should trust these people or not. Sure they had been against the Witch, or so they said, but they didn't look like fighters. She was however willing to trust those two when it came to deciding on this kind of thing.

The Tin Man was apparently having the same kind of thoughts she was. "It would be foolish to bring in your students before the monarchy was stable again. They're better off where they are." His blue eyes flickered over the group. "I'm assuming you have them placed in separate communities to help the locals?"

Kea grinned. "You bet your badge we do." Camden rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Ahamo jumped in. "Very good." It was becoming disturbing how well these two worked together. "Give us a few weeks to get organized and set up elections and then we can have them come in."

The Queen took his hand and smiled serenely. She noted that this kind of action prompted parliament to relax unconsciously. It was rather clever of her mother actually. "And we should have them come in a few at a time so as not to put a strain on any of our people. I do not wish to have them suddenly without medical aid if some emergency should occur."

She silently congratulated them on avoiding the Zero topic. As she was doing this the head of parliament turned back to her. "If you don't mind we really would like to know how you killed the Witch. We have…contacts, that need to be informed that this isn't a trick."

She fought back a wave of grief but wouldn't deny them. Telling the story was necessary to gain their trust. She decided then and there that the whole flyer idea had been a good one as she took a deep breath and began her tale. The Tin Man's hand tightened around hers and his thumb ran slowly over her knuckles as she started telling them about waking up in her bed on the Otherside to the sound of someone breaking down the door.

Author Note: Once again school is the reason for the delay but I hope you enjoyed the new characters. They are all based off real people so this should be fun for me to write! Let me know what you think. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Tralalala….what? No, I'm not going to say it. I'm going to sing my happy song and focus on the positive!

She stood gazing blankly out of a window in a cozy little parlor a few hours later with her friends and sister. Her parents were escorting the parliament members out of the tower in order to keep up appearances, under heavy guard of course, while the rest of them waited for lunch. She couldn't say she had much of an appetite after that interview. She hadn't let herself think about her foster parent all that much since she had found out what had happened and about halfway through her story she had come to an upsetting realization. She hadn't been able to give them a proper burial.

That particular thought had made her stumble over her words briefly before she managed to recover. The Tin Man had looked at her sharply when her hand had gripped her chair so hard her knuckles had gone white and Raw had tilted his head as his gift steadily increased around her but no one else had noticed anything. And it had been at such an uneventful part of their adventure that she suspected everyone else had thought she had simply tried to change her sentence midway through. After she finished her tale she had gone quiet, retreating into herself as she realized what a horrible daughter that made her.

Parliament had broken up shortly after the story with promises of informing the masses that she was both alive and had killed the Witch. They had also given her parents their tactic approval of her new position as heir apparent before filing out of the meeting room. Overall she supposed the meeting could have gone much worse.

Lost in her own thoughts she didn't hear anyone drop off their food or her parents enter the room a few minutes later. She thought Az probably called her name several times to get her attention as well. "Deeg!"

Her head snapped around and she focused on her sister with a frown. "Sorry, what?"

Az waved a hand and she felt a silencing spell shimmer around the room. "Why didn't you tell them everything?"

The quiet conversations going on in the room stopped abruptly at that question as her eyes went back to the view of Central City spread out below them. It was true she had left a few things out but it wasn't anything important. Nothing that would matter to parliament or their contacts. "I told them everything they needed to know."

She heard Az huff. "You should have told them what happened in the Tower! What happened in the mausoleum!"

She flinched; glad no one could see her face. Even Cain didn't know about what had happened in the Tower or about the viewing Lylo had preformed on her. She hadn't felt like sharing that day with anyone knowing it only would have upset them. Cain would have gone into a fit of rage and Raw was still grieving for his brother. She didn't see the point in bringing it up. "What?" Ahamo's voice cut sharply across the room. "What happened in the mausoleum? I was with her the whole time."

"Nothing happened." She replied emotionlessly as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"You know what happened!" Az retaliated. "Do you have any idea what kind of an opportunity you wasted by not telling them those things? You would be even more of a hero in their eyes."

She said nothing. She had never felt like a hero and had no intention of sharing those particular details with strangers. In fact she didn't feel like sharing them with most of the people in the room. "Are you listening to me, Deeg?"

As if she could ignore her sister when she was in this kind of mood. "Yes."

"Then why-"

Ahamo cut her sister off. "What happened in the mausoleum?"

She turned her head to reply and caught sight of the Tin Man. He was scrutinizing her with steely blue eyes. So he hadn't missed the Tower reference. Damn it. She tried to ignore him. "The Witch sorta trapped me in there for a while after she sent you away."

"She trapped you?" Her mothers voice was soft and prompting.

Shrugging she stared back. "I got out." And sure, she was now mentally and emotionally scarred but no biggie. She was dealing. She didn't see how an irrational fear of the color green was going to affect her on a regular basis. After all, the only one who knew about that was Cain and he wasn't about to tell anybody.

"Of course you got out." Az said as she rolled her eyes. "Otherwise you would be dead." Her sister wasn't getting how upsetting that episode had been for her or she would have dropped it. Then again maybe she was getting better at this whole lying thing. That was positive if she thought about it. "So why didn't you just tell them?"

"She is right, My Angel. Your image is important."

"Maybe I'm not worried about my image." She answered. Her usual temper had left her. Right now the only thing she was feeling was a strange kind of sick feeling in her stomach.

The Queen pursed her lips together. "You should be. You will be Queen someday. What the people think of you matters."

She shrugged again with complete disinterest. The opportunity, as they were referring to it, had passed and she couldn't see how that was a bad thing. What had happened was going to stay her secret and that was final. Her mind turned to how she could rectify the funeral situation. She saw her mother frown out of the corner of her eye but she ignored it. She was getting used to the look of disappointment on her face where she was concerned.

She heard Glitch clap his hands together abruptly and jumped slightly. "Look at the spread they brought us!" He noted brightly. "I haven't had muglug in ages!"

She suppressed a sigh of relief as he diverted everyone's attention and made her way to one of the loveseats. Cain sat next to her as she reached forward to pick up a glass of water. She sipped it as Glitch handed her sister a bowl and dug happily into his own meal. Az took a bite then gave her a hard look. She raised an eyebrow.

Az finished chewing with a thoughtful expression on her face. "So do you know how to plant food and stuff?"

She burst into giggles, some of her stress dissipating at the question. She was happy Az had decided to follow Glitch's lead on this. She saw her father's lip twitching although her mother didn't appear all that pleased. "Yeah, Az. I know how to 'plant food and stuff'."

Az smiled as if farming were the most fascinating thing in the world. Rolling her eyes she decided to indulge her sister. "I can also cook, clean, fix machines, serve people meals, and outrun the cops. My life in Kansas was a scintillating rollercoaster of daring adventure."

Cain and Glitch chuckled while Raw let out a rumbling laugh. Ahamo leaned forward with a quirked eyebrow. "Waitress?"

She turned her nose up in mock disdain. "You know you're jealous."

The Consort grinned while her mothers frown deepened. There was a sharp whistle by her ankle and she looked down to see Decon watching her with his head cocked to the side. She glanced up at Raw hoping he could tell her what was going on. Raw hummed softly then answered her unspoken question. "Papay surprised that DG knows such things. His people have great respect for other farmers."

She looked back down. "Really?"

He chuffed in affirmation sitting up on his haunches. That was cool. She hadn't thought she'd get a lot of respect from anyone for her past work on a farm. Except from Cain. He tended to respect anyone who worked hard at anything that didn't involve evil schemes of doom. She wanted to ask him a question while Raw was here but there was a sharp knock on the door before Jeb opened it.

He bowed slightly to her parents looking harassed. "Forgive me, Majesties, but the Chief of Security in the city just arrived. He said he wished to speak with you in person."

Cain growled a warning. "Longcoat."

Jeb gave his father a condescending look. "Thank you for that." He turned to Raw. "I'd like you to come with us."

Raw stood up as her parents did, intent on helping the young man. The Tin Man stood up as well but Jeb pointed a finger at him. "You stay here."

"Excuse me?" He asked incredulously.

Jeb turned to make room for the Royal couple to pass by him. "We can discuss this later." He gave his father a warning glance before turning after Raw and shutting the door behind them.

Glitch snickered quietly as Wyatt stood dumbfounded in front of the loveseat. "You know-" The advisor began with a hint of evil glee in his voice. "- he does technically outrank you now."

The Tin Man turned an icy glare onto Glitch who gave him a lopsided grin. "He is Captain of the Royal Guard. You, my friend, are a Tin Man. He has jurisdiction over you."

Cain grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Only in the palace."

The advisor chuckled and stood up gracefully. "Speaking of which, I do believe there is a library in here somewhere. Would you do me the pleasure of accompanying me, Tulip?"

Her sister blushed lightly. "Of course." He helped her to her feet and they sauntered out of the room leaving them alone with only her Papay guard. Decon shook his scales making them click together before he decided to lay down on a rug in front of the window. She figured they should find a way to get outside soon so her guard didn't get cabin fever. The last thing they needed was to have a crazed Papay on their hands.

She set her glass of water back down and stretched her legs out along the loveseat. The Tin Man was still glaring at the door with a slightly miffed look on his face. "He probably didn't want you to punch the man out."

Cain glanced back over at her before leaning down so he could lift her legs up. Once they were out of the way he sat back down and laid them back over his lap. He grumbled to her. "Doesn't mean I shouldn't be there."

Her lip twitched. "He has to do his job the best way he knows how. It won't help him if you jump in and undermine his authority." Cain opened his mouth and she leaned forward to put a finger over his lips. "And I know you wouldn't do it on purpose but you give off a vibe."

He raised his eyebrow at her and talked around her finger. "Vibe?"

"A feeling in the air." When it didn't appear that that made things any more clear she tried again. "Wyatt, whoever this guy is he's gonna know you're in charge even if you don't say anything. You have a way of taking over a group without consciously knowing it's happening. On the Otherside we call it alpha behavior. It means you're a natural leader. It's your gift, Tin Man."

He hummed and she saw a spark of pleasure in his eyes. Catching her hand he pulled her up until she was straddling his lap. "A feeling in the air?" He leaned forward in order to nuzzle her neck. "I don't think my gift works on you."

Despite his teasing she whimpered and wrapped her arms around his shoulders wanting the comfort he so easily provided. She didn't realize until he kissed her neck softly and questioned her that she had started to cling to him in distress. "Sweetheart?"

He drew his head away from her skin and not wanting him to get away she buried her face against him. "I just need a second." She had done this to him too often. She needed to get a freaking grip. Momster and Popsicle were gone. She knew this. It was over and had been for a while. Why couldn't she move past it? A few deep breaths later and she raised her head forcing a small fake smile. "Better."

He caught her cheek and his eyes scanned hers. "You've been quiet since the meeting. You gonna tell me what happened while you were talkin'?"

She dropped her gaze from his and nodded slightly. He ran his hand down her back as she whispered. "I never got to bury them."

He sucked in a sharp breath tugging her flush against his chest. "Darlin-"

"I know they were robots… But I should have said goodbye." Her arms tightened as she started babbling faster. "We had to leave so fast and I had to put Glitch's brain back in. And I was so tired after I forgot. How could I forget that? They're just sitting in that tower rusting or something! Then I got angry and I think I left my locket at Finaqua. What's the matter with me?"

"Hush, DG." He kissed her head and her tirade died on her lips. "I asked Jeb to bury them outside with the soldiers. You can go see them soon if you need to."

She felt the sick feeling in her stomach dissipate slightly. The Tin Man had done that for her? She nodded gratefully against his chest. "Thank you. I don't know why I didn't think-"

"You're grieving, Darlin'. It makes your head do strange things. And I picked up your locket as well. You were a bit angry when you tossed it. I thought you might want it back eventually."

Not for the first time she thought she didn't deserve this man. Sighing in relief she began to relax into him. "I love you."

He cradled the back of her neck. "I love you too."

She raised her head from his chest and sighed softly. "We make quite a pair, Tin Man."

He smiled down at her. "Quite a good one if you ask me."

"I suppose I can agree with that assessment." She teased gently.

"That's a shame." He smirked at her. "I was hoping I would have to convince you."

That sounded like fun. In fact that sounded like naughty fun. It also sounded like it could be pretty distracting and Cain had promised to let her get experimental tonight. She grinned up at him her eyes dancing. "I'm already convinced but don't let me stop you from making me really, really sure that I'm right about that."

He leaned forward so he could murmur in her ear. "We should probably find our bedroom before your bodyguard gets a show."

She shuddered at his open lust for her and scrambled off his lap. Her clothes suddenly felt much too warm and he wasn't anywhere close enough for her liking. As he grabbed her hand and hauled her out of the parlor with that gleam in his eyes she wondered if they were going to be able to make it to the bedroom.

Author Note: That was a mean cliffy! I'm sorry! I'll try to post the next bit soon. Leave me one!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: While I love Tin Man it does not belong to me.

Dragging her into their sitting room he picked her up, kicking the door shut in Decon's face. She heard a startled hiss of annoyance from her guard and promptly forgot about it as he continued to swing her up and over his shoulder. She could apologize to him later. Or bribe him with treats. Maybe Papay liked chocolate?

Giggling as he carried her toward the bed she threw a silencing spell around the small suite. She had never felt quit so dainty before. The man wasn't showing the slightest strain at carrying her around. It was dead sexy.

"You find something funny?" The Tin Man rumbled from deep in his chest.

"Nope, nothing funny back here." He grunted as he walked them through the doorway to their bedroom. She glanced down and then up at his ears as she smacked his butt lightly. "I have a really good view though." As she predicted his ears tinged pink as he flipped her back over his shoulder and onto the bed.

Raising his eyebrow he tugged her legs until she was sitting flush against his standing form. "Was that necessary?"

She grinned mischievously up at him as he huffed down at her. "Absolutely. Especially with those pants you're wearing."

He rolled his eyes as she grabbed his collar and tugged him down to her. He grunted as she threw him off balance and they both tumbled back onto the mattress. Catching himself with his hands he managed to prevent himself from crushing her as they landed. "You are the clumsiest princess I've ever heard of."

She distractedly responded to his good-natured teasing as she pushed on his shoulder and rolled them over so she was straddling him. "And you've met how many princesses exactly? Two? That's not a huge basis of comparison you have going."

Chuckling he reached up and grabbed the jacket she was wearing, sliding it down her arms. "I said heard of, not met."

She grinned as she attacked his holster figuring she agreed with him. She was slightly gravity challenged sometimes. "I may be the clumsiest but I bet I'm the most fun."

Quickly clasping the back of her neck he hauled her mouth down to his and kissed her thoroughly before letting her go. "I don't doubt that."

Pleased that he agreed with her she nodded and continued to work the straps loose. As she occupied herself the Tin Man started rubbing his hands up and down her legs firmly. Getting the hint she started rocking against him as she finally got his holster loose. He let out a muffled sighed as she moved onto his shirt. "You drive me crazy, Darlin'."

"Crazy can be good." She eyed his clothes pointedly. "But naked is better. How am I supposed to have any fun when you're all covered up?"

Grunting in amusement he sat up and she slid down to his thighs. He set his holster to the side and tugged his mostly unbuttoned shirt over his head. Suppressing the urge to crow in triumph she leaned forward and kissed his neck. He tasted so good. Working her way slowly down toward his chest she was suddenly stopped as he caught her shirt and dragged it up over her stomach. Sitting back she raised her arms so he could get rid of it before attacking the expanse of bare skin before her.

One of her hands wandered farther south, sneaking under the pants she liked so much as she continued to tease him with her mouth. The Tin Man's fingers tangled in her hair and urged her head back up. "Keep that up and this isn't going to last long."

She pouted at him playfully but stopped stroking him. "You said I could play."

His eyebrow quirked up. "Did I?"

"Wyatt…" She whined as her hand started rubbing him once more. He sucked in a sharp breath as she increased the pressure incrementally on every stroke. "You said we could try whatever I wanted." She was fighting between uncertainty and curiosity at the moment, and as always curiosity was winning. She didn't really have much of an idea of what she wanted to try as far as positions went, having little experience in the area, but she knew what had excited her before. Closing the distance between them she barely brushed her lips against his, looking up at him from under her lashes as she whispered conspiratorially to him. "And I want to hear you talk to me." She punctuated this with a firm squeeze.

He rumbled deep in his chest as his pupils dilated. She held her breath waiting to see what he would do now that she'd made her request. She didn't have to wait long. Seconds later and he pulled her hand away from him and stood them up so he could unbutton their pants. As he flicked the button to her jeans open he began to nibble his way up her neck. "Now that's not something I was expecting from you, Sweetheart."

She sighed thinking her idea was a total bust and mentally kicking herself for such a stupid idea until he reached her ear. "Does it make you wet when I moan your name?"

Her hands immediately flew to his fly as she answered him. "Yes."

He hummed softly as he pushed the denim off her hips. "Do you want to know how hard you make me when you look up at me with those big blue eyes of yours?"

Desire coursed through her at his heated questions and she shoved him backward as soon as they were free from the rest of their clothing. Landing over him she kissed the underside of his jaw as his arm snaked around her bottom and pulled her up over his erection. "Tell me." She demanded breathlessly.

Rolling them over he hooked an arm under one of her legs and pushed it up. Gazing down at her he smirked. "I'd much rather show you." With that he pushed into her with agonizing slowness. She moaned wrapping her free leg up around his hips in an effort to draw him in as deep as possible. "You are so tight." He groaned his eyes fluttering shut as he began to rock in and out of her.

This was so much better than she had thought it would be. There was something deeply satisfying about getting the normally quiet man to talk to her like this. The combination of lust and adoration in his voice was driving her out of her mind and she started clamping down on him as she clutched at his shoulders. Cain hissed and twisted his hips. "You're the most gorgeous thing I could imagine, DG. Do you have any idea how good it feels when I sink into you?"

Nipping his shoulder she thought she might be able to relate as he hit that place inside her that made her tremble all over. As she started teetering dangerously on the peak he continued to talk to her, practically drowning her in a haze of arousal. "I want you all the time. You're stronger than any addiction I could imagine and it just keeps getting better." That was all she could take. Plastering herself against him she gasped out his name, losing herself as wave after wave of white-hot pleasure coursed through her body. She felt him let go at the same time she did gasping her name next to her ear as he did.

Wyatt's weight settled over her as he went limp breathing heavily. She wrapped her arms around his back as she struggled to regain her balance and kissed the side of his face gently. Running her fingers through his hair she cooed happily at him. "That was _so_ good, Wyatt."

He smiled at her shifting enough so he wasn't crushing her. "Happy to oblige."

Laughing at that she closed her eyes and let him run his hand run idly over her side. She loved this part as much as when he was making her scream. Her whole body was thrumming contentedly and the heat he was giving off lulled her into a state of relaxation she couldn't remember having felt before. After a while she felt his lips on her forehead and untangled their legs so she could sprawl out under him more fully.

As he slowly mapped her face with his lips she let her mind go pleasantly blank. Making his way to her ear he started talking again. "Love?"

Her eyes fluttered open at that particular pet name. "Hmmm?"

"What happened to you in the Tower?"

She went stiff at the question. There was no way he was bringing that up right now. "What?"

He continued to kiss her, tightening his arm around her and drawing her even closer. "You heard me."

She turned her head away. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Of course you don't." He didn't loosen his hold as she tried to scoot away. "And if you don't want to I won't force you but I'd like to know."

"Why do you always ask me these things when we're in bed?" She was going to start getting paranoid if he didn't stop springing these things on her.

He propped himself up on his forearms and looked down at her. "Because you're relaxed and we're alone. And to be fair I didn't expect you to panic the first time I told you I loved you."

Damn him and his logic. Could he be irrational for once? It would make her feel better if she wasn't the only one. "It'll only make you angry."

He frowned at her subdued answer his Tin Man persona kicking into overdrive. "Did she hurt you?" He asked sharply.

She averted her eyes saying nothing and knowing that was as good as telling him yes. She was starting to think she would never be able to lie to him but it really could have been a lot worse. She hadn't ended up like Lylo. Moving his head he caught her eye again. "DG?"

She cleared her throat. "She tried to use Momster and Popsicle to get me to tell her where the emerald was. When I figured out it was a trick she sent them away…" She closed her eyes briefly, fairly sure they had been destroyed shortly after the Witch knew she couldn't use them against her. "Then she made Lylo read me." She refused to tell him that had been Zero's idea. She knew that would send him straight over the ledge she had been keeping him on. She wasn't going to flaunt the fact that his enemy had urged the Witch to torture her.

She could hear the confusion in his voice. "She had you read?"

She jerked her head and forced herself to elaborate. "It's not like when Raw does it." He made a prompting sound. "The magic Lavender used to block my memories wouldn't let him get what she asked him to. He started screaming and I wanted it to stop hurting him except I didn't know how to use my magic right." She licked her lips. "I managed to transfer a lot of the pain he was experiencing to me but I couldn't…" She felt herself begin to shake as the memory took hold. "He passed out and Raw said he died an hour later."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I should have been able to use my magic better."

Laying his forehead on hers he reassured her. "You had no memories, you had no teacher and you didn't know that magic existed until a two days before that happened. There was no way you could have stopped that. It's amazing you were able to keep him alive for as long as you did." He sighed angrily. "I should have gotten to you sooner."

Resting her hand on his face she disagreed with his assessment. "Getting shot out a window tends to slow people down. It was her fault. Besides, finding out you were alive pretty much made up for the pain part."

His lip twitched up. "Hadn't had anyone that happy to see me in a long time."

Feeling her playfulness returning at his confession she glanced around the room as if making sure they were alone before she whispered to him. "Well don't tell anybody but I was crushing on you a little bit."

The lip twitch turned into a smirk. "Really?"

"Yeah, what with all the protecting and saving my life and all. I wasn't going to say anything though."

"Why's that?"

She left out the grieving part. "Other than the fact that I thought you might be a little crazy?"

A chuckle rumbled out of his chest. "Yes, other than that."

"You're kinda outta my league."

His eyebrows came together. "You're going to have to explain that." This was the first time she had ever seen a man puzzled by a sports reference.

She rolled her eyes. "You have much more to offer me than I have to offer you."

He blinked down at her it total disbelief. "DG, you're a _princess_."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything. It's not who I am."

"You have magic."

She shrugged. "I didn't when we met."

"You saved my life."

She opened her mouth then closed it. "I did do that."

"Damn right." He huffed at her. "I still can't believe you ran at those Longcoats with a stick."

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"Snuck around the back and thrown a rock? Distracted them long enough for me to get away?"

She glared at him. "You know this is a completely irrelevant conversation."

He grinned. "You're only angry because I'm right."

"Whatever, Tin Man."

His hand snuck down and tickled her ribs. "Admit it."

She thrashed under him with a squeal. "No!"

"Say it, Darlin'. You'll feel so much better."

"Never!" She giggled.

"Come on, DG. Say it and I'll put my hand anywhere you want it."

She would admit he almost had her. "No!" She shrieked. "I will not be bribed!"

He snorted but lifted his hand away as she thrashed uncontrollably from the sensation. "I think you can be." His eyes were sparkling. "I just need to find out what your weakness is." He would never find out that her weakness was him.

As she lay gasping under him his hand wandered lower. She met his eyes surprised. "I didn't admit anything."

He captured her lips as his fingers dipped inside her. "Doesn't mean I don't want to see those pretty eyes glaze over for me." She gripped his at his arm as she arched up. In that instant she decided she needed to keep him forever. It might be time to talk about this whole consort thing…Then again it could wait another hour or so.

Author Note: Simple Instructions…Hit button to leave review. ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Tin Man is regretfully not mine.

"I can't feel my legs."

The Tin Man chuckled as he rolled away from her. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"That's fair. I think I meant it as one." Her brain was trying to reboot after their last round of lovemaking. She hadn't known she could bend that way. Huffing a laugh he threw an arm over her waist as he tried to catch his breath. Grabbing his hand she twinned their fingers together and braced herself as much as she could considering her body felt like goo. "So…"

He grunted, eyes closed, as he ran his thumb over her knuckle. She licked her lips and tried to formulate the best way to go about this. Should she be wearing clothes? Or maybe ask him after a romantic dinner? She really should have asked Az about this…Fuck it. "So do you want to be my consort?"

His blue eyes snapped open to stare at her blankly. "Do I what?"

That had not been a yes. She really needed to work on her subtlety. Start feeling out a situation prior to speaking. Her mouth was getting her into a lot of trouble. Heart dropping to her toes she tried to rally herself, throwing on a teasing smirk. "Well, if you want to play hard to get then fine." Stretching once more she gently shoved his arm off her stomach and got out of their bed in search of her panties. As she bent down and kicked her pants to the side Cain's arm snaked around her hips and yanked her into his lap.

He pulled her flat against his chest and used his hand to move her hair over her shoulder. "Darlin'… What exactly are you asking me? Do you want to get married?"

She twisted her head around so she could see his eyes. There was no way to make this less awkward except to use humor. Besides she hadn't actually said that. "Actually I asked if you wanted to be my consort but if you want to get married I wouldn't say no."

He shook his head, his eyes flashing with an emotion she couldn't identify. Leaning down he brushed his lips against her collarbone. "It's only been a few weeks." His voice had dropped to the low octave he usually only used when he was inside her or about to be.

"I know." She wrapped her arm over the one he had around her hips. "But I don't think waiting a few months is going to make a difference. I'm pretty sure my heart's set on you."

His head came back up and he rested his forehead on hers. "Your heart, huh?"

She kissed him sweetly. "Yup. The whole thing's wrapped up in you." She never imagined she'd be reduced to such girly thoughts by anyone.

His eyes twinkled at her. "Can't very well say no if that's the case can I? Nothing would make me happier than marrying you." She smiled at him as joy washed over her in waves. Laughing happily she grabbed his face and kissed every inch of skin she could find as quickly as possible. Smiling he tightened his hold on her as she attacked him.

When she finally let him go he stood them up and directed her to her clothes. She tilted her head at him but he was insistent as he stepped into his pants. "Get dressed, DG. I'm not going to do this with both of us naked."

"Huh?" She shrugged on her shirt then looked at him quizzically. "Do what?"

His eyes remained fixed on the task of buttoning up his shirt. "Become your consort."

She was still confused as she shimmied into her jeans. "What do our clothes have to do with anything? It's not like the wedding is going to be right now." She was pretty sure it was going to have to involve a magistrate or something. Plus she didn't have a dress so she really didn't see the point-

He paused with his shirt partially unbuttoned and glanced up at her with a strange expression on his face. "The wedding?"

"Yeah, you know, the thing we just talked about?" He quirked an eyebrow and she continued on haltingly. "Where you become my consort?"

He opened his mouth then clamped it shut looking puzzled. "What's the wedding got to do with it?"

Now she was so turned around she didn't know where to start. Tucking her hair behind her ear she felt her eyebrows drawing together. "Ok, you lost me."

"You said you wanted me to be your consort." She nodded. "Then we need the emerald. It'll bind us together as soon as you tell it you've decided on me."

"I don't understand. The emerald is going to marry us?" That was just plain weird. She kinda wanted a dress instead of jeans during her wedding.

Cain blinked and she saw understanding flash in his eyes. "Darlin', being chosen as consort is only a position. The queen or the heir apparent pick who they want next to them politically and mark them with their magic. It has nothing to do directly with who the next prince will be although the titles tend to go hand in hand after a time. That's why I asked what I did about the marriage. Until we actually get married I'll be seen as your confidante, and most likely your lover, not your husband." Flabbergasted all she could do was stare at him. "DG?"

She shook her head. "You mean to tell me that they're two separate things? Why?"

"Apparently the queens in the past didn't always trust their princess with the kind of power a consort has. Some of them were outsiders from other kingdoms that could have betrayed them or they could have simply been poor military leaders. In any case a Queen would often name her top advisor as her consort."

She searched her vocabulary suddenly grateful she had been a creative writing major. "You mean that in this case consort actually means companion… or a colleague, instead of spouse?"

The Tin Man nodded. "Your father's full title is Prince Consort. But in his case he became your mother's prince almost a year before she gave him the title of consort. Most people figured, and mind you they were probably right, that she was teaching him about the Outer Zone before throwing that on him. From what I gather when we talk the Otherside is a bit different from this world." Her lips twitched up. Poor man had no clue. "Figure he had to get used to the place before he could run the army or talk to parliament effectively."

Mulling that over she found yet another question. "Do you want to become my consort? I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to do all those things if you didn't want to. I thought it was all part of the deal but if you'd rather only be the prince I would understand." She told him before she wouldn't trap him and she'd meant it. Helping to run a country with her, when she had no clue what was going on, wasn't going to be easy. "I could always announce Glitch as my consort."

He took her hand then and brought it to his lips. "Marriage is about sharing things, Sweetheart. If I were only your prince I wouldn't be able to know certain things or help you the way I want if you name me." He lowered her hand but kept his eyes on hers. "But this is your choice. You need to do what you think is best for you and the realm. If you think the Headcase would be more useful, or anyone else for that matter, then you should name him. I'd still be your husband either way."

The open honesty in his eyes made her stomach dip. He would really love her no matter what she decided to do. It was a powerful realization to know he wasn't going to turn on her if she made a decision without him. Squeezing his hand she reached over to the bedside table and picked up the emerald. "What do I do?"

His eyes softened as his lip twitched. "You should ask the emerald. I only know that it binds the queen or princess to who they've picked. The history books aren't any more specific than that."

Holding the jewel closer to her face she questioned it. "How do I go about making the Tin Man my consort?"

The gem glowed softly as it spoke to her. _You've made up your mind have you?_

Rolling her eyes she shook the pendant indignantly. "That's what I said. I don't need any of your clever snarking about this. Tell me what to do."

Pulsing gently she heard amusement in the emeralds disembodied voice. _I think you made an excellent choice. Unorthodox true, but really all of them have been. _ When she made an impatient noise it continued. _Hold me between your joined hands and I'll do the rest._

Flipping the pendant up in the air by its chain she caught it open handed and extended her hand to Cain. "Put your hand over mine." He nodded his face serious as he placed his palm over hers. The tips of his fingers brushed her wrist and she moved her eyes from his face down to their hands. As soon as she looked down a flash of emerald light erupted from between their hands.

As it flared out it began to twist around them in an intricate web. She caught her breath as patterns and shapes flashed into existence weaving over her and the Tin Man until the room was glowing. Watching them with startled wonder she was vaguely aware that she couldn't move her hand away from Cain's but couldn't tear her eyes away from the images that were dancing about the outside of the magic globe that had formed around the two of them.

Reaching out to touch one sparkling image that looked remarkably like her cat from the Otherside she felt her own magic sucked from her fingertips. The display of green began to flash with color as her own magic joined emeralds. The Tin Man's arm went around her waist suddenly and pulled her against him as the pictures, many of which seemed to be part of her past, flashed faster and faster until they melted together in one ball of color. It almost looked like a rainbow was trying to spin its way around them. Then the ribbon of light that was flashing around the two of them dissipated without warning leaving a few sparks of magic drifting around the room like bubbles as they slowly popped out of existence.

Tilting her head up to watch the last sparks of color hovering about oddly over their heads she rested her free hand on Cain's chest feeling his heartbeat pounding steadily. Before she could formulate what to say about what had happened the last of the magic began to drift down over them like brightly colored snow. As it landed over her head and shoulders it left warm tingles everywhere it touched. She smiled at the increasingly familiar tingle her magic always produced. The Tin Man shuddered his eyes closing as he hugged her closer.

Her eyes went to his face to see the color fading out of it. "Cain?" He let out a shaky breath and she felt their hands fall away from each other. "What's the matter?"

Shaking his head he stumbled backward and she let out a muffled cry of alarm as he hit the side of the bed and dragged them both to the floor. "Wyatt?" She clutched the emerald and shook it hard. "What did you do to him?" Her voice was thick with fear as she snaked her other hand up to catch his head as it started to loll to the side.

_It will pass in a moment. His body is absorbing a portion of your magic. Since he has none of his own it has overloaded him._

She snarled at the jewel. "What do you mean it overloaded him? He's not a machine! I can't take him apart and fix him if you melt his brain!"

_Don't be overdramatic. He's already coming around_.

Beside herself with worry she dropped the gem and held his face as his eyes fluttered open. She dropped her voice to a worried whisper. "Wyatt? Come on…Focus for me."

The Tin Man groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "Are you ok, DG?"

"Are you serious right now?" She ran a hand through his hair as he regained the use of his neck. "You just got knocked unconscious by my magic and you're asking me if I'm ok? Are you insane?"

"Seems likely at this point." His blue eyes were blurry. "Is there a reason you laid me out?"

She stared at him aghast. "I'm so sorry, Wyatt! I didn't know that was going to happen!"

He smiled despite the obvious pain he was experiencing. "It's ok, Darlin'." She shook her head in disbelief still worried she scrambled his brain. "At least you didn't try to eat me this time."

She gaped at him. "I never tried to eat you!"

A chuckle burst from him. "That's better."

"I can't believe you. You're crazy." This only prompted further chuckles and once she was sure he wasn't going to fall over she extracted herself from his arms. "I'm going to get Raw."

He managed to catch her wrist before she stood up. "Send Scales. It's not safe…I don't want you far from me."

"Alright." Right now she would do anything he wanted. She scrambled up and darted through their sitting room. Yanking the door open she nearly stepped on her guard who was snoozing in the doorway. At the feel of the metal being moved he came awake with a growl. Falling to her knees in front of the groggy Papay she caught one of the scales that covered his shoulders and pleaded out her request. "Can you go get Raw and bring him here?"

Decon grunted and sniffed her all over. She threw him a strained smile. "I'm fine but I think I broke the Tin Man."

He lowered his head respectfully before rising to his feet and taking off down the hall at a quick clip. Letting out a sigh of relief she stood back up and shut the door. When she got back to Cain he had his head thrown back so it was resting on the mattress. Sitting down next to him she took one of his hands and bringing it to her mouth kissed his knuckles. "Raw will be here in a minute. Are you sure you're ok?"

He grunted. "I'll live but I have the worst headache."

She grimaced in sympathy. "I wonder if that's normal for everyone with magic or if you have a headache because I get headaches?"

"Good question. I'll make sure to think about it later when my head isn't poundin'."

Cocking her head to the side a thought suddenly struck her. "I thought of something that might make you feel better."

"You're going to knock me out again? That might help."

She giggled quietly. "Not exactly."

"What then?"

She tickled his palm with her fingers. "You outrank Jeb again."

There was a moment of silence before he burst out laughing. His sarcastic remark that came after made her join in. "That makes it all worth it."

"Right? Now sit tight for a few minutes until my healer shows up and then you'll be good as new." Shaking his head he settled back as she leaned into his chest. A warm feeling spread through her body when he relaxed. Good thing she didn't kill him. That really would have made her feel bad.

Author Note: Ahh the drama continues! And Zero isn't even here yet… Soon ladies…Soon.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not Mine!!!!!

She refused to move so much as two inches from Wyatt while they waited for Raw. The Tin Man didn't look like he was going to stop breathing anytime soon but she wasn't going to take any chances with him. So she sat quietly next to him watching his still form as he sat against the bed. His forehead was creased in pain and she assumed his headache hadn't gotten any better in the last five minutes which really only made her feel worse about the whole incident. Reaching up she began to run her fingers over his wrinkled brow and he sighed in relief as she tried to rub the pain away. Happy that she was helping she moved her hands around to the base of his skull, hitting that place she knew he liked.

"That feels good." He rumbled faintly.

"I really am sorry about this. I didn't know the emerald was going to force my magic into you."

One of his eyes popped open. "It what?"

She frowned. "You didn't know it was going to do that either?"

His forehead crinkled in confusion making the lines that had already formed deeper. "No." He rubbed his face. "What does that mean?"

She opened her mouth then shut it with a snap. That was a great question. She had absolutely no idea what that meant. "I-" There was a tap on the door and she turned her head letting her hand fall away from the Tin Man's neck. As she moved her magic began to stir softly about her fingers. She figured her anxiety over Cain's health made her a bit more volatile than usual. "Yes?"

A familiar soft voice floated to her. "Raw come."

Her magic vanished immediately as she sprang toward the door, jumping over a small table in her haste to get to it. Skidding to a halt she opened the door swiftly and met Raw's worried brown eyes. She ushered him in and Decon trotted closely behind. As soon as she locked it back up and turned around Raw placed a furry hand on her shoulder, his eyes radiating tranquility. "DG need to be calm now. Magic might get away."

Sucking in a breath she nodded and urged him toward the bedroom. The viewer took the lead his head tilting back and forth as he regarded the Tin Man. As he knelt down next to Cain his blue eyes opened slowly. Raw let out a low hum making no move to touch the other man.

She began to gnaw on her lower lip. "Can you make his headache go away?"

Raw looked over his shoulder at her with a strange expression on his face. The Viewer stood up swiftly and took hold of her arm before practically dragging her away from a startled Cain. "Must go now." He whispered urgently.

"What?" She pulled away from him stumbling, but he caught her around the waist and nearly picked her up. She caught sight of his face and saw fear written all over it. "Raw, you need to heal him."

"No, DG." He had her halfway across the sitting room and she could see Wyatt trying to rise to his feet. "Not Tin Man."

"Huh?" She dug her heels into the ground as Decon suddenly leapt between the Tin Man and the doorway of their room. A low growling hiss erupted from the Papay as his mandibles began to vibrate threateningly. "Of course it's Cain! Let go!"

"No!" Raw's voice was strained and she felt his gift suddenly slam into her. She gasped as a wave of emotions rolled over her and she staggered back several more feet toward the hallway. "Cain not have magic! Trick! Must leave!"

"Wait just a second, Furball!" Cain took a step toward them and Decon sprang up at him. The Tin Man crashed to the hard floor with a thud as Decon landed on his chest clamping his teeth around his throat.

"Stop!" Her voice rang around the room loudly. "I gave him magic!"

Raw froze with his arms still wound around her waist. "Not possible."

Lunging toward her guard she was stopped by the Viewer once more. "It is! I made him my Consort!" Ignoring Raw she snapped at Decon. "Get off of him right now!"

Raw let out a growl of surprise and released her. As she raced to Cain Decon slowly loosened his jaw. Cain shoved the Papay back and he slid off the Tin Man's chest to the floor. Reaching down she helped Cain into a sitting position. "Are you ok?" She ducked her head down so she could see his neck. He had a number of red indentations where her guard's teeth had pressed against his skin but he wasn't bleeding.

"I'm fine, Sweetheart." The Tin Man had wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close as he leaned back against a nearby wall. She glanced up his face before her eyes fell back to his neck, her fingers grazing the marks. She shook her head in annoyance over the whole situation. Knowing the Tin Man was safe was causing her adrenaline to crash at an alarming speed and she began to shake softly. She leaned into him feeling suddenly exhausted. Cain bent over and whispered in her ear as he ran a hand over her hair. "It's ok, DG."

She nodded trying to fight off her body's reaction to using so much magic. "I know." She looked up at Raw imploringly, hoping he would fix Cain now. "Please?"

The Viewer growled low in his throat as he approached them. Sitting on his knees next to them he placed a gloved hand over Cain's face and squeezed is eyes shut. Humming low in his throat he slowly lifted his hand away and leaned back. The Tin Man let out a breath and his lip twitched up. "Thanks, Furball."

Raw nodded and regarded the man closely. "Not understand."

Cain held her close and she slumped as she rested against him. "You don't understand what?" Cain questioned as he glared at Decon. "She just told you she gave me some of her magic. Although to be fair I'm not sure how that's going to affect me."

"Affecting DG." The Viewer stated this without a trace of doubt in his voice.

Cain's sharp eyes cut toward him. "How?"

Raw gave him a look. "Told you not know." His soft brown eyes went to her. "Emotions very strong when Papay attacked. More than normal." Her eyebrow twitched up. She hadn't been that freaked had she? "Still strong."

The Tin Man looked down at her with worry. "She was in a tizzy when I collapsed." His arm went over her back and cradled her. "That's not like her. She doesn't panic in a crisis situation."

He was right. She had reacted pretty strongly to seeing him slumped over like that but she had half thought she'd killed him. She searched her own feelings with a frown. "He's right." Her voice was quiet and confused. "I feel funny."

The Tin Man started prodding her. "Funny how?"

"Like…" She squeezed her eyes shut so she could focus better. "Like I can't breathe right?" That was as close as she could come to articulating what was going on inside of her.

Raw sighed. "Not like this." Her eyes opened and locked on his furry face. "When start?"

"Ermm." Goddamn the emerald. Why was it the thing never told her what was going on? Seriously, she was going to start asking more questions before she ask the gem for anything else. Not that she didn't _enjoy_ massive amounts of head pain and mild panic attacks or anything. She nearly rolled her eyes at that. "Right after-"

"You made me your Consort." Cain finished. "Wonderful."

Raw went contemplative. "DG gave magic." She made a soft sound of confirmation. "May still be connected to Princess." He held out his hands. "Must see."

She didn't move when the Viewer placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on Cain's. He began to hum quietly as he read them together. She hadn't known a viewer could do that, read more than one person at the same time, but he was. After several long moments Raw let them go. "Magic connects."

Wyatt sighed tiredly. "Meaning?"

"DG connected to Consort through magic as magic connects Consort to her."

"Come again?" She couldn't unravel that statement.

Raw shook his head as he searched for words. "Claimed Cain as own with magic but at price. DG now protecting Cain and self. Emotions reacting to fear of Tin Man getting hurt and part of Princess getting hurt."

That was perfect. The last thing she needed was an increased stress level when it came to Cain's safety. Her annoyance over this new little factoid pushed some of her fatigue away. "No freaking way."

The Tin Man's emotions on the other hand flipped in the opposite direction. "Wait a second. She's protecting herself?" His arm tightened. "Does that mean if I get hurt so will she?"

"In way."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Cain's voice was rising with his anger.

"Raw think DG feel hurt through magic. Not physical." He held out his hand and placed a finger over her heart. "Hurt her here. If Tin Man get hurt or die DG might feel."

"Might?" He growled.

"Die?" She snapped over him.

Raw shook his head. "Tin Man will change magic. Will adapt to him. May not return to DG if change too much."

"I need a book for this." She sighed out. "What do you mean he's going to change it?"

"Magic adapts to user. Cain now user not DG."

She was dangerously close to ripping her hair off of her head. Wriggling out from under Wyatt's arm she leaned back, stretching over the floor to snatch the emerald up. Enough guessing about what was going on. She wanted a straightforward answer if she could get one. "What exactly just happened?"

_The Tin Man became your Consort. It is what you asked me to do._

Glaring she growled at it. "You know very well what I mean!"

_Your Consort must have magic in order to keep himself safe in your presence in case you get volatile. _She flashed back to the night she had found out she was next in line for the throne and saw the logic in that. _The magic can shield him from spells you might cast accidentally. And if you decided to make him your Prince his magic will help strengthen that of your heirs._

She wasn't even sure what she was feeling toward the emerald right now. "But it was _my _magic! How is it supposed to help my children if my magic has been whittled away?" She felt Cain shift beside her leg.

_The Viewer was correct. The magic will conform to him. In a few weeks it will be entirely his and your dark magic will be able to grow and fill the place of the light you have given him. _

"How on Earth will my magic grow?"

The emerald pulsed gently. _Think of your body as a pitcher. It can hold a certain amount of magic without overflowing. If the magic is used it will eventually refill itself. Since you siphoned off part of it to him the pitcher will realize it has more space and begin to refill. In your case dark magic will take over to fill that void because it is your dominant element. It will take some time for this to happen._

She simply stared at the jewel thinking. "Then what can he do now?"

_As I said he will be shielded from you and be able to increase the magic your children can posses. Otherwise he has remained unchanged. _

"So he wont be able to cast spells?" That was a little disappointing really.

_No. He will remain the same._

"Does he need to be taught how to shield?"

_The magic will shield him without training. Keep in mind it will only protect him from your magic. He can be affect by anyone else._

She had one more question. "How long am I going to feel so… protective?" There wasn't a better word for it.

_Until the magic becomes his fully. You will be able to feel the change in it as time passes. _

Tossing the chain back over her neck she sat back up thinking. If it would take a few weeks then they really hadn't timed this well. The emerald should have told them how much trouble this was going to be because if Zero found out about this she had no doubt he would take advantage of it. With a chunk of her magic gone until his stabilized she was now in a bad place. Add on the fact that she was now hyper sensitive to the Tin Man's well being and they were in for a treat.

"Well?" Cain nudged her gently with his knee and she snapped back to reality.

"We might have a problem."

His eyes found hers. "How big a problem are we talking about?"

She winced. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

His eyes flickered. "The bad I suppose."

"Our bonding moment depleted my magic for at least a few weeks."

Cain stiffened and Raw rumbled worriedly. "How much gone?"

Turning her focus inward she assessed her gift critically. "A little less than half. I'm about where we were when I healed the tree but at least I know how to use it now."

The Tin Man's eyes were leaking with worry. "We can't go through with this plan if your magic is that low!"

She shook her head, fighting back her own fear that he might be right. "It's too late to call it off. Zero knows we're here. If we leave he'll destroy the city."

Cain snarled a curse as he hauled himself to his feet. "I didn't want you here in the first place and now you can't even defend yourself properly? There is no way you're staying!"

She scrambled up after him, anger rising in her. "I won't let the city burn!"

"You don't know he'll do that!"

She started yelling. "I saw it! I was there! In his head!" She pointed at her temple. "He imagined every detail for me! From where he wanted to watch to the screams rising up over the smoke!"

Cain's shoulders were stiff. "It was only a dream."

"No, it was a visual promise! He is sick and crazy and has enough power left to make it happen!" She was gesticulating wildly. "You said you wanted to be my Consort! That you wanted to be able to share in my responsibility! Sometimes that means I'm going to have to put myself in danger for my people, or didn't you think about that?" She was breathing raggedly as guilt and exasperation ran through her.

"Damn it!" Cain's temper snapped and he hit the top of the dresser with an open palm. "If he finds out he'll kill you! This doesn't leave the room!" His eyes flew to Raw and Decon. "Understood? No one else knows about this!"

Raw nodded in compliance, unease in his brown eyes. She didn't blame the Viewer for looking nervous around the Tin Man right now; he was oozing rage. Walking to him she caught his hand with both of hers. His eyes flew to her face and she squeezed gently. "You need to relax. Everyone is going to know something is wrong if they see you this way."

He sucked air in through his nose as he jerked his head sharply. "Fine." His eyes were glinting dangerously although he was making a considerable effort to relax his shoulders. She caressed his hand carefully, hoping it would help. Then without warning he wrapped his free hand around her back and pulled her flat against him. Startled by the move, especially with other people watching them, she jerked her eyes up. "No magic unless it's an emergency. You can't risk exhausting yourself if you're only at half power." She saw fear replacing his anger as he spoke. "Promise me."

She gnawed on her lip worried by the force of his outburst. "I promise."

Immediately he tucked her head under his chin and held her there. She could practically feel his anxiety over this unexpected event. Hugging him she let him hold her as he came to terms with what this might mean. He had barely stopped vibrating when there was another knock at the outer door. "Dad! Open up! We have a problem."

She suppressed a groan as the Tin Man tensed against her again. She didn't want to know what Jeb had brought them this time.

Author Note: Wow it has been a while since I updated this. So sorry about that I didn't mean to leave you all hanging but school has taken over my life! Hopefully I'll have a chapter or two out over Thanksgiving break but no promises! Leave me one! I promise the plot is about to thicken like drying cement!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I want it! Or at least Cain! Who has him?

Raw took one look at the Tin Man's face and walked toward the sound of Jeb's fist pounding on the metal door. Shaking her head rapidly she pushed off Cain and tried to orient herself before another surprise was launched on them. This really wasn't turning out to be such a great day really. Sure she now had a consort… and possibly a fiancé. Her eyebrows came together as she walked into the sitting room. That was an odd thing to think about, but he had said he wanted to be her husband and he seemed sincere about it.

Her line of thought was disrupted when Jeb pushed through the half open door. "Jeb?" Wyatt's voice cut across the room sharply as he flew past her. She didn't blame him one bit; his son was the worse for wear. He was singed from the top of his blonde head to the tips of his worn leather boots. He was also angry. Her eyes scanned his soot-covered face and she reassessed the Captains mood. He wasn't angry as much as vibrating with absolute and total rage.

She felt the Tin Man's parental worry ratchet up to fear and she listed to the left at the sensation. Raw's furry hand snapped out and caught her wrist. He tugged on it lightly until she was steady again. She blinked owlishly at her friend while Cain grabbed Jeb and started checking him over. "What happened to you?"

"What happened?" Jeb's voice was so low he was practically growling. "I made a damn stupid mistake is what happened!"

She straightened her spine in reaction to his anger. Jeb had only lost control in front of her once, when they found out Zero had gotten loose, but right now she thought he might be beyond that. He was about to go up like a nuclear bomb. She focused on what she thought was an immediate problem. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm not hurt!" His voice snapped viciously at her, but she knew he wasn't angry with her. He was venting, she could understand the necessity of it. "The chief of security wasn't a Longcoat, he was a message." The young Captain took a calming breath. "After he informed us of the condition of the city, in great detail I might add, I asked him if he'd noticed any unusual activity. Before he could answer he burst into flames!"

She and Cain turned to look at Raw at the same time. He was supposed to read the man for Jeb. Raw made a startled noise. "Man safe when read."

The Tin Man closed his eyes as he turned that over in his head. "No, he thought he was safe which is what you picked up on. Someone must have booby trapped him without him knowin'."

She felt sick at the thought of someone being able to do that to another person. "Did you put him out?" Her voice was only slightly strained which she supposed was better than really strained. "Can Raw or Kalm heal him?"

The way Jeb regarded her told her that was out of the question. "Princess, he didn't catch on fire. He burst into flames." At her frown he winced and elaborated. "His entire body exploded." She saw a sick look cross his face. "Everywhere he went caught fire. The Queen managed to make a path to the door for us with what magic she has left but it took awhile to get the fire out. Luckily your sister showed up before it spread too far."

She fought against a wave of anxiety. "Are Ahamo and Lavender alright?"

He nodded as he ran a hand through his dirty hair. "They'll live, but the Queen has a nasty burn on her arm. I sent for Anna and Kalm so she should be healed in a few minutes."

"Take me to where he blew up."

"DG-" Cain started seriously.

"No." Her voice was firm. "I need to see what happened. If Zero has magic Az or I will be able to tell what it is."

Cain sighed and started swatting ash off of Jeb. In response Jeb glared and batted his father away like an irritated cat. "I'll take you if you want to go, DG, but it's not pretty."

She mentally cataloged everything she had seen since coming to the Outer Zone and decided that her 'pretty' meter had shifted drastically. At the moment she was more worried about what Zero could do with the magic he had, as opposed to the mess he had made. She nodded her mouth set into a grim line.

"Let's go then." The Captain of the Royal guard smacked his sleeve and a puff of smoke rose off of it. Turning around Jeb opened the door and looked up and down the hallway before letting her leave the room. Like father like son she supposed with the slightest hint of annoyance.

Jeb led them down the long hallway at a quick clip. Decon ran up ahead of him, his mandibles buzzing like crazy. The walk down the two flights of stairs and down three more long corridors was silent except for their footfalls on the cool metal beneath their feet. She could feel Cain's anxiety growing as they got closer to their destination and had to focus to push his feelings to the edge of her consciousness. Was this how Raw felt all the time? She wouldn't be able to deal with this on a long-term basis and she only had to worry about her connection with one other person. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what Raw must feel all the time.

The Viewer must have caught on to what she was thinking because the next thing she knew he had his hand on her shoulder. He gave her a soft squeeze and smiled at her in an encouraging sort of way. She returned the smile immediately hoping she could ask him how the best way to control this was if they ever got a second alone.

Up ahead she heard muted voices and Decon went into a low crouch, inching along the floor until he was up against the corner. Cain and Jeb stopped them and they waited silently while the Papay snuck his head around into the new hallway. He was completely motionless as he took in what he was seeing. Then abruptly he stood back to his full height and walked easily around the corner. Taking this as a sign that everything was clear there little party followed without hesitation, although she saw the Tin Man's hand move to his holster.

What they found outside the entrance of the large parlor, or maybe if was a small meeting room, she couldn't tell, was a bunch of soot-covered people. There were dark burn marks winding around the doorway and one of the metal doors was half melted. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight and it took her a full ten seconds to recognize her sister. She was standing in a group of Jeb's Resistance fighters looking as if she had blundered out of a hearth. The fighters seemed to have found a new respect for the older princess because one large man in his forties clapped her on the back as he pointed inside the room. Her sister staggered slightly at the contact but she gave the man a lopsided grin in return.

Glitch was off to the side talking to her parents who were as dirty as her sister. Ahamo had pulled back the sleeve on her mother's once pale dress and was holding it out of the way as Anna carefully cleaned the large shiny burn on her forearm. Kalm stood next to the medic's elbow watching her intently as she worked. She winced when she saw the small blisters that had bubbled up on the Queen's skin and walked hurriedly over to her parents.

"Are you two alright?" Ahamo glanced up at her and nodded seriously before going back to his hovering.

Her mother smiled tightly at her as Anna wiped at the edge of the burn. "We're fine, My Angel. I managed to make us a corridor out of the room." Ok, it was weird that her mother was bearable, if not pleasant, when she was in pain.

Her lip twitched slightly as she ran her eyes over Lavender's arm. "Yeah and you managed to barbeque your arm while you did." Her mother's delicate eyebrows drew together and Ahamo let loose a soft chuckle. Her smile got wider and she met her mother's purple eyes. "Good job." She said and meant that with all the sincerity she possessed.

Anna smiled up at Raw as the older viewer moved to them. "Master Raw, her arm will be ready for you in a few more minutes."

Her eyebrow twitched up but she figured she could ask him about that title later. As she headed toward her sister, the fighter's, and the two Cain men she heard Raw speaking to Kalm about the best way to go about fixing burns. Glitch injected something that cause the small group to laugh and she stopped worrying about her parents. Cain and Decon began edging into the room cautiously as she approached her sister. "You know, Sis, if you're tired of being royal you could definitely become a chimney sweep. Gray really is your color."

Her sister huffed at her and several of the fighter's fought back grins despite the serious circumstances. "You shut up! I had to put the fire out before it swept out into the hall."

"Which completely explains why you're covered in ash."

Az sputtered and crossed her arms. A cloud of soot rose off of her sister and she snickered. "I had to use wind to keep the flames in the room and it superheated everything. The ash is plainly the result of that."

She grinned, enjoying the fact that she had gotten under her sister's skin. "Don't listen to her none, Princess Azkadilla." The burly fighter that had been congratulating her grinned down at both of them. "She's only teasing ya some. Had a brother like that. Figure she's right impressed with what ya've done." Her sister stared up at the man in wonder. "And if she aint impressed we sure are."

Inordinately pleased that the fighter's appreciated her sister, and that he wasn't treating her like she was diseased, she made a soft sound of pleasure before she sidled by him catching her sister's hand as she went. "Come on my incredibly impressive sister. I need you to help me with this."

"Sure, Deeg." Her sister said distractedly. Apparently she wasn't the only one that had been surprised by such open acceptance. Pulling Az into the room she stopped dead right inside the entranceway. Until she stepped into the room she hadn't been able to detect the smell of burnt flesh. She forced back her gag reflex as she took in the now blackened room. Pieces of the chief of security for Central City were scattered over the room in pieces of differing size. Most of them were smoking faintly along with the remains of the furniture. "Oh." Az said faintly.

She squeezed her sister's hand hard and pulled her farther into the room. Cain was crouched over what appeared to have been part of the man's head with his blank mask firmly in place and his hat in his hand. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

The Tin Man considered what he was looking at. "Saw something similar to it when I was with the Mystic Man."

"How similar?"

He sighed and stood up. "A woman attacked us on our way to a little village up in the mountains. She wasn't an ordinary woman; she had some kind of gift involving earth magic. When she attacked us there wasn't much me and the other guards could do about it. The Mystic Man had to take her out himself. He froze her solid and she shattered like a pane of glass."

"Wow." She didn't want to think about how much magic that would take to do.

Cain frowned. "The thing is he had to touch her to do it and he wasn't happy he had to use that spell." The Tin Man appeared to be trying to recall the incident in as much detail as he could manage. "I think he said something about elemental consequence?"

Az's head snapped up from her examination of the blackened wall. "That's when you're magic rebounds on you. Did he get chills afterwards?"

He shrugged. "That could be. It was a long time ago."

She felt her sister go still. "I know what this is." Suddenly white magic flared out of her sister's free hand and swept across the room. As it flowed around an object that was mostly buried under the remains of a chair it began to glow softly. The Tin Man stepped toward it as Az's magic continued to move about and suddenly he too was glowing. The magic flowing from the older princess petered out of existence as she squawked at him. "Why are you glowing?"

"You tell me, Princess."

Azkadilla's mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to find a reason for turning her Tin Man into a nightlight. Then she sucked in a sharp breath and her eyes began to fly between her and Cain. "Ooooooh! Deeg you made him your-"

She slapped a hand over her sister's mouth and hissed at her. "How about you say it a little louder!" So much for keeping _that_ a secret. "Don't tell anybody!" Dark eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "_No one, Az!_" After a moment she seemed to get the hint and her round eyes went back to Cain and then to the still glowing object buried in the ruble. Slowly she took her hand away from her sister's smudged face and stepped back.

Az took a moment to compose herself then pointed at the object. "It's not active anymore. You can touch it."

The Tin Man had watched the exchange between them in silence, his shoulders stiff with tension as his eyes flew to the door. When she spoke he bent down and dug up what looked like a small broken glass ornament. A small, hollow, burned globe sat in the palm of the Tin Man's hand. He spun it around slowly as she edged up to see it. "It looks like you could hang it right on a Christmas tree, if it wasn't broken anyway."

"I wouldn't put that on a tree." She could hear the confusion in her sister's voice and Cain shot her an odd look. "It's a fire hull."

"A fire hull?" Cain prompted.

Az shifted uncomfortably. "The Witch…" She halted mid-sentence and started shaking. Turned to fully face her sister she caught her face with both hands she locked eyes with Az hoping to calm her.

"Relax. She's gone now." Sliding into the role of protector for her sister was an easy thing to do. "What did she do?"

Az took a shallow breath. "She was experimenting with elemental weapons that could be set to go off with a password right before she found you alive on the Otherside. She thought her troops could flush out the rebels with them and she wouldn't have to be anywhere near them."

"And she made these fire hulls?"

"She only managed to make a few. They were very…unstable."

"How unstable?" Cain's rumbled quietly.

"Very. She killed at least twenty of her Longcoats while she was working on them." Her eyes closed briefly. "However, she did manage to make eleven stable hulls before the eclipse. I'm sorry, I forgot about them."

She knew her sister had been having problems but she had no idea that memory loss was part of it. "You can't remember?"

Her sister began to wilt. "Some things. I'm sorry, Deeg, some of it is like flashes or foggy dreams. The rest… It scares me. I don't want to think about it."

She tucked some of her dark hair behind her ear. "It's ok."

"No." Her whispered word cracked. "This man is dead because of me."

She shook her head. "He's dead because of the Witch and Zero. She made these, not you."

Tears welled in purple-flecked eyes and Cain cut in before she started to cry.

"You said there were eleven. Are they all this powerful?"

"In different ways."

"Meaning?" The Tin Man's voice was sharp.

"They aren't all based on the same element."

"So there are ten more of these? All of them different?" Cain growled. "How are we supposed to protect ourselves against these?"

Az shook her head, dislodging her hands. "She made eleven in total but I think at least six were used in the battle at the Tower."

"And this one was set off. So there are four left."

"There could be less than that." Az said. "There is no way to tell if Zero used the others already."

Cain looked at the glass ball meditatively. "I doubt he used the others. They're to valuable to waste."

She sighed silently agreeing with him. "We need to warn everyone."

He grunted. "I'll tell Jeb, he'll tell the guard."

"No, everyone."

Cain glanced away from the globe long enough to meet her eyes. "You heard her, Scales. Go get the pixies." Decon chuffed in understanding and left the room immediately.

"What are you going to tell them?"

She stared at the damage around her and let herself accept that her family and his could have died very easily if her mother hadn't thought so fast. "The ball is set for the day after tomorrow."

"It is." She felt a spike of fear run through him at the thought even as Az shifted uneasily beside her.

"I'll have them move into the city tonight. Even if it is early they need to be in place in case he does something else… unexpected."

He nodded sharply and tilted his head toward the door. "Let's tell them then. Nothing else in here for us." Squaring her shoulders she nodded and headed back out to her parents. She'd have to get Az to make her a dress now. She had a sinking feeling that using any magic from this point on would end up with her in a nasty position.

Author Note: Papers, and power points, and finals oh my! I'm so sorry about the massive delay but the end of the school year consumed my life! I had multiple presentations, term papers, and finals I had to devote my life to and sadly my stories were running a place behind an extra hour of sleep or a cooked meal. But on the bright side I have a few weeks off and time to write! So here is to more chapters for both my stories! Look for updates!


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